Evanston Township High School held its annual Senior Scholarships Night on May 8, acknowledging students in the Class of 2024 who are scholarship recipients through the ETHS Scholarship program. Nicole Yao was nominated by her fellow ETHS seniors as the 2024 recipient of the Oliver Baty Cunningham Memorial Prize.
Each year, senior students are encouraged to apply for ETHS Scholarships for which they may qualify. One of the scholarships – the Oliver Baty Cunningham Memorial Prize – is by nomination only.
Throughout the night, a total of 64 ETHS seniors were honored with scholarships awarded by the ETHS College and Career Services Department. To learn more about ETHS scholarships, visit the ETHS website.
The Oliver Baty Cunningham Memorial Prize is awarded annually to the senior who ranks first among the members of their class in all-around qualities, including intellectual ability, capacity for leadership, sense of responsibility and distinguished service to school and community.
Yao distinguishes herself with a strong work ethic and a natural flair for critical thinking and problem solving. Her participation in the National Honor Society underscored her academic excellence and commitment to service. She served on the ETHS Board of Education as the student representative for her junior and senior years. Her leadership outside of school was illustrated by her involvement in EMERGE, where she helped devise solutions to issues in the Evanston community.
Nominated by her fellow classmates, ETHS senior wins top honor is from Evanston RoundTable, Evanston's most trusted source for unbiased, in-depth journalism.